Karmichael Hunt, Titans players Beau Falloon, Jamie Dowling charged with allegedly supplying cocaine
TWO Gold Coast Titans players, along with Queensland Reds star Karmichael Hunt, have been charged with allegedly supplying cocaine.
QUEENSLAND sports star Karmichael Hunt has been charged for allegedly supplying cocaine after a sting involving the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission.
Gold Coast Titans players Beau Falloon and Jamie Dowling have also been served a notice to appear as part of a QCCC investigation focused on a cocaine trafficking syndicate in south-east Queensland.
All three players have separately been stood down by their respective clubs.
“As a result (of being handed the notices), they have been stood down from playing and training subject to their appearance in court,” Titans chief executive Graham Annesley said.
The Titans will be shifting their training base immediately from The Southport School where they have been training during the off-season.
“Again, unfortunately I was placed in a position where I learned about these issues through the media,” Annesley said.
“We made it very clear to all of our players if they get in any sort of trouble they should advise the club. The fact it has taken a long time today to verify these matters is very disappointing
“I had no idea these matters were going to be made public today.
“What I do know there are a lot of good people associated with this club. It is not fair to them they get dragged through these type of scandals on a consistent basis.”
Queensland Reds fullback and vice-captain Hunt, 28, met detectives on Thursday night and was issued a notice to appear in court over four counts of supplying the drug.
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Hunt’s charges follows that of former rugby league stars Jason Smith and Matt Seers who police and CCC allege were part of a multimillion-dollar cocaine cartel.
The CCC on Friday morning released a statement that said the charges stemmed from an investigation into a cocaine trafficking syndicate in southeast Queensland.
Hunt’s lawyer Angelo Venardos said: “Whilst I can confirm that Ferguson Cannon Lawyers have been retained to represent Karmichael Hunt, as it is now before the Courts, it would be inappropriate to make any comment regarding the matter.”
Hunt had been listed to start at fullback for the Reds against the Western Force at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
Highly decorated and known for his successful “code-hopping”, he previously played for AFL team Gold Coast Suns and rugby league team Brisbane Broncos.
He won the Dally M Rookie of the year at the Broncos in 2004, later playing in the Queensland State of Origin and Australian league teams.
Smith, also a former Queensland and Australian league representative, was charged with trafficking cocaine in Toowoomba between June and December last year after the six-month CCC investigation.
Seers, who played league for NSW, is also charged with trafficking and supplying the drug on the Gold Coast and Toowoomba last year and has been banned from contacting Smith.
Two years ago Hunt said the AFL and NRL’s drug testing policies were similar and thorough.
“Mate, they are pretty much the same,” he said at the time.
“All I know is I get tested a lot and always have. Ever since my second year in league, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve had to do it.”
Hunt is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on March 5.
Originally published as Karmichael Hunt, Titans players Beau Falloon, Jamie Dowling charged with allegedly supplying cocaine